Embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein relate to random number generators, and more particularly, to random number generators using an adjustable meta-stable voltage.
As information communication technologies develop, the encryption of information is very important to maintain security of information. A random number is used, in general, to encrypt information, and thus, a random number generator for the generation of the random number is required. To make decryption of encrypted information difficult, a random number should not be regular, and a specific value (e.g., “0” or “1”) should not be continuously output by a uniform length or longer.
In general, in the case of a random number generator that uses a ring-oscillator circuit, there is a considerable time to accumulate jitter, and thus, a speed at which a random number is generated is limited. In contrast, in the case of a random number generator that uses meta-stability, a speed at which a random number is generated is fast, but the quality of random number decreases due to mismatch between a meta-stable inverter and an amplifier or between meta-stable inverters.
Accordingly, to encrypt information quickly and to protect the information, there is a need to develop a random number generator that improves a speed, at which a random number is generated, and quickly generates the random number.